Stydia - Eichen Aftermath
by alpha-lorax
Summary: Stiles stays with Lydia, caring for her after the pack broke her out of Eichen House.
1. Chapter 1

Lydia listened closely to the fast beating of Stiles heart, the side of her head pressed against his chest and her arms wrapped around his body. She was struggling to stay awake, perfectly content with falling asleep snuggled against him. The only thing keeping her awake were the constant bumps in the road. Natalie had allowed Stiles to go home with Lydia and herself, due to Lydia's request. They sat in the backseat, cuddled closely together while Natalie drove.

"I'm so sorry we didn't get you out sooner." Stiles said, almost whispering. He sounded truly upset.

"There's nothing you could have done, Stiles. I'm here. I'm alive. I'm forever grateful for that. Please don't beat yourself up." Lydia said, looking up into his eyes. She could tell tears were threatening to fall, as she saw his eyes welling up slightly.

He blinked back the tears. "You're right." He said, as he rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. He shot her a small smile, and continued to rub her back. She laid her head back down on his chest, closing her eyes. As she did, he stared at the gaping hole in the other side of her head. He felt like this was his fault. If only he had gotten to her sooner.

Natalie watched the two in the backseat, and couldn't help but feel terrible for threatening to never let Stiles see Lydia again. He had just risked his life for her. She noticed the trail of dry blood down his neck coming from his ear. She figured it was from Lydia's scream.

After a few more minutes of silent driving, the car finally pulled up at the Martin residence. Natalie parked the car in the driveway, and turned to face Stiles.

"I trust you can help get Lydia up to her bedroom?" Natalie asked.

"Of course." Stiles said, as he gently shifted Lydia off him.

"Okay. Here's the house key, just let yourselves in." She replied, holding the key out to Stiles.

"You're not coming with us?" He asked, a look of bewilderment on his face as he grabbed the key.

"Not right now. I have to go to the store and grab a bunch of meds for Lydia. I'll be about an hour because the only 24 hour pharmacy isn't very close. But I trust you will take care of her well for the time being." Natalie said, smiling warmly at Stiles.

"I'll do everything I can. I promise." Stiles said. Lydia's eyes slowly opened, and she instantly began shivering, missing the heat she was getting from being so close to Stiles.

"Hi sweetie. I need to go to the store to get some meds for you, but I'll be back as soon as I can." Natalie told her.

"Okay, me and Stiles will be alright." Lydia said, smiling as best she could.

"I know." She said, as she leant over and placed a kiss on Lydia's forehead.

Stiles opened the car door, and got out. He held his arms out to Lydia, who grabbed on and slowly got out of the car. As soon as she got to her feet, her knees almost gave in instantly. "Careful." Stiles said, as he caught her. She wrapped her arm around his waist. Stiles wrapped his around her shoulders, and held the other out in front of her ready to catch her just incase. They walked slowly up to the front porch. "You okay?" Stiles asked, as he helped her climb the few stairs.

"I'm doing okay, aren't I?" Lydia asked, trying to get Stiles to cheer up a little.

"You're doing great." Stiles said, as they reached the front door. "You're handling this a lot better than I am." He continued, as he unlocked the door with his free hand. He helped Lydia into the house, set the key down on the bench, and switched on some lights. "Let's get you cleaned up." He said, helping her climb the stairs into her bedroom.

When they reached her bedroom, Stiles began walking her into her ensuite bathroom.

"My head is killing me." Lydia said, her breath shaky from how cold she was.

"I know. I know it is Lydia." Stiles said sincerely, turning and pulling her into a tight hug. "But for now, we need to get you cleaned up and nice and warm. Okay?" He said gently. She would never get used to the sincerity and care in his voice.

Stiles got the water hot for Lydia, before turning to her. "Will you be okay by yourself for a little while?" He asked.

"If I need help with anything I'll call you" Lydia said gently, now realising how sore her throat was.

"Okay, I'll be just out here." He said, turning and closing the door behind him.

Lydia took her clothes off, and got in the shower. She washed herself thoroughly, and washed her hair, careful not to get any shampoo in the hole in her head. Even after she was cleaned, she stayed in the water for another 10 minutes taking in all the warmth it had to offer.

In her bedroom, Stiles had begun to worry. "Lydia? Are you okay in there?" He called out from outside the bathroom door.

"I'm okay! I'll be out in a minute Stiles." She replied, as she let the water fall over her just a moment longer before turning it off. She stepped out of the shower, only to realise she didn't have a towel anywhere. "Stiles?" She called out.

"Yeah? What is it?" Stiles asked, sounding a little panicked.

"I um, don't have a towel in here."

Of course. "Oh, um, alright. Where do you keep them? I'll grab one for you." He told her.

"In the linen cupboard in the hallway just outside my room." Lydia said, pointing to where it would be, before realising he couldn't see her.

Stiles ran out into the hall, and spotted the cupboard she told him of. He grabbed a pink towel, and quickly made his way back into her room.

"I have one." He said.

Lydia opened the door and stuck her head around, taking the towel he held out from his hand. "Thanks." She said, smiling.

"You're welcome." Stiles said. He took his place sitting on the edge of her bed again, waiting for her to finish up in the bathroom.

A couple of minutes later, the bathroom door opened. Lydia came out, wearing pajama pants and a matching long sleeve button up shirt. She was wearing white socks, and her hair flowing naturally still a little damp. Stiles looked at her smiling.

"What?" Lydia asked, suddenly feeling nervous and embarrassed.

"Nothing. It's just, you look beautiful. As always." Stiles said, noticing the way her cheeks took on the slight shade of red. Even without makeup, without her hair done, and wearing pajamas, she was still the most gorgeous person he knew.

Lydia's heart was beating like crazy in her chest. Thank God Stiles didn't have super hearing like Scott or the others. Butterflies filled her stomach. "You're the only person who's ever called me beautiful." She said softly, smiling shyly. "And you've done it multiple times."

"Anyone who hasn't must be out of their minds." Stiles said, smirking. He noticed her eyes slightly glassy, as she smiled with her lips pursed together. He stood up from the edge of her bed, and walked over to her, pulling her into a tight hug.

Lydia wasn't sure how long they stood like that. Could have been minutes, felt like hours. She had her arms around his waist, holding him tightly. His long arms wrapped around her, one hand on the small of her back, and the other gently caressing her head. Stiles softly placed a kiss at the top of her forehead. When they finally broke apart, Stiles gazed into her eyes and smiled warmly. Lydia kept one of her hands holding onto his flannel.

"You need to eat something. Do you want to go downstairs and see what we can find?" Stiles asked, massaging the elbow of her arm which was still clutching onto his flannel.

"Okay." She replied, slipping her hand into his as they made their way down to the kitchen. She was still leaning heavily into him, and felt her head pounding like crazy. She was in a lot of pain, but she didn't want Stiles to worry too much. Besides, her mother would be home soon with the medicine she needed.

They carefully made their way down the stairs, with Stiles supporting Lydia since she didn't have the strength or energy to walk on her own right now. "You should probably just eat something light. Nothing too heavy, might make you sick." Stiles said, as he searched through the fridge. Lydia took a seat in one of the bar stools by the kitchen bench.

"I agree. Maybe just some toast for now?" Lydia said.

"Yeah, that should be fine. I'm gonna make you some tea, if you want it?" Stiles said, grabbing the bread, and some butter out of the fridge. He had spent so much time with Lydia at her house studying that he practically knew where everything was kept.

"Some tea would be great, actually. Thank you." She said, smiling.

"You are most welcome." Stiles said, smirking back at her as he put teabags into some cups and boiled the kettle.

Just then, a bright light shone through the living room window, and the sound of a car door could be heard closing.

"Mum must be back." Lydia said, turning the stool around as she was about to get up and let her in.

"Hey, no, no no. You stay there. I'll get the door." Stiles said, holding Lydia's shoulders. He made his way over to the door and let Natalie in.

Natalie walked into the home, and into the kitchen where Lydia sat. "Hi sweetie. How are you feeling?" She asked, placing the bag of medicine on the bench.

"A little better." Lydia said. While it wasn't a total lie, she still felt terrible. Her head ache had gotten worse, and it felt like her head was going to explode. She had aches and pains all over her body, and her throats was still very sore. But, she wasn't freezing cold anymore, or filthy. "The hot shower and getting cleaned up has helped. Just going to have some toast and some tea."

"Well that's good. After you eat, make sure you take these pills I got. They'll help with the pains, but they'll put you to sleep. So, probably a good idea to go to bed right after you take them." Natalie said.

"I don't think sleeping is going to be much of a problem." Lydia said, laughing softly.

Natalie smiled. "Okay, well I'm going to go to sleep. Make sure you take the medicine, and if anything is wrong, make sure you tell me. I don't care if what time it is, okay?"

"I will, mum."

"Okay, goodnight." Natalie said, giving Lydia a kiss on the forehead.

"Goodnight, love you."

Stiles finished making the buttered toast, and added a little milk to the tea. Lydia ate the toast rather quickly, and then sat with Stiles drinking her tea with him.

"Thanks for doing all this." Lydia said, as she played with the tips of his fingers.

"You don't have to thank me. You almost died tonight, Lydia. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let something like that happen." Stiles said, as he entwined his fingers with hers.

Lydia stared deeply into Stiles eyes. She leaned closer to his face, and closed her eyes. Their faces were impossibly close, and Stiles closed the gap, gently pressing his lips to hers. It was a slow, lingering kiss, so soft and tender, unlike the last kiss they shared in the locker room. When Lydia finally pulled her lips away from his, she leaned her forehead against his, breathing heavily with her eyes still closed.

"I love you." She whispered to him. It took Stiles a moment to register what she said. Stiles rose his hand to her cheek and gently stroked it with his thumb.

"I love you too. So much." He whispered back.


	2. Chapter 2

Stiles and Lydia were sitting on the kitchen bar stools, foreheads pressed together with their fingers linked. They had just shared their first kiss since the time Lydia kissed him when he was having a panic attack. And they had officially confessed their love for each other. Stiles was still a little star struck from the moment. Lydia felt a wave of relief wash over her, as she'd finally been able to say the words she'd been longing to say.

They seemed to forget about the chimeras, Dread Doctors, and all of the other threats they were currently facing. Everything felt perfect. They felt like the world had slowed down considerably, and everything was within their grasp.

Stiles hated to break up their little moment, but he had to. "We should probably get your head bandaged up. Wouldn't want it to get infected or anything." He said, as he moved some hair away from the hole in her head.

"That would be bad." Lydia said, agreeing with Stiles. She grabbed one of the bandages her mother had bought from the store earlier, and handed it to Stiles. He carefully put it on her head.

"Is that too tight?" He asked.

"No, that's perfect." She replied, smiling warmly at him. She would never be able to get over how much he cared for her. How gentle and loving his movements are for her, how he still sees her as the most beautiful person even when she has a hole in her head, looks sickly and is wearing pajamas. This is what love felt like. And she loved it. She loved him.

"Okay. So, what do you say you take that medicine and we get some sleep?" Stiles asked, checking the clock which read 11:39 PM.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Lydia said. Stiles made a glass of water for her, and handed it to her along with the required amount of pills she needed to take.

"Thanks." Lydia said, taking the glass and pills and swallowing them all down.

Stiles took her two hands in his and helped her stand to her feet. He lead her over to the staircase, and slowly helped her climb them, one by one.

They reached Lydia's bedroom, and Stiles put his bag down by her bed. He crouched down next to it and rummaged around in it for a moment before pulling out some pajamas and his toothbrush.

"I'm just gonna get changed real quick, and then we can brush our teeth and go to sleep." He told Lydia, as he went into the ensuite bathroom and changed into a pair of flannel pattern pajama pants and a plain black shirt. When he was done, he opened the bathroom door. Lydia looked over and was met with the sight of a smiling Stiles standing in his pajamas. She got up off the edge of the bed and carefully walked over to him. He put his arm around her shoulder and helped her into the bathroom.

"You know, we did just confess our love for eachother. You didn't need to get changed in private." Lydia said matter-of-factly, shooting him a small smile.

He thought for a moment, and nodded his head in agreement. "Huh. I didn't even think of that. This might take a little getting used to." He said, laughing.

They stood in front of the bathroom mirror brushing their teeth together. Stiles noticed Lydia wincing as she brushed. He could tell she was in pain. Stiles knew it was getting to be too much when she paused, scrunched her eyes shut and let out a very quiet whimper. She was hoping he wouldn't hear, but he did.

"Lydia?" He asked through a mouth full of toothpaste. "You okay?"

"My head is killing me." She said, putting her toothbrush down and washing her mouth out with water. She grabbed onto the basin, breathing heavily.

Stiles washed his mouth out, and dried his hands. "Okay, uhh." He thought about what to do for a moment. "Here, Lydia. Lydia, look at me." She turned her head to him, still breathing erratically. Stiles grabbed her hands. "Just focus on me, okay? Don't think about the pain. Just focus on me." He said, moving his hands from hers up to her wrists instead. He rubbed gentle circles into them, as he moved closer to her. "Just focus on my voice, my touch…" He slowly ran his hand up her forearm underneath the long sleeve shirt she was wearing. He could feel the goosebumps on her skin as his fingertips ran along it. Her breathing began to slow down. "That's it. Slow deep breaths."

Suddenly, Lydia pressed her lips to his. It was just as good as the last kiss, soft, tender, but a little more urgent. The pain seemingly disappeared. She felt as good as ever, and all she could think about was Stiles. How much she cared for him, how much she wanted to be with him, how much she loved him. When Stiles finally pulled his lips away, Lydia chased the kiss and gave him a small peck on his lips.

"That will never get old." Stiles said, chuckling a little.

Lydia giggled. "Let's go to sleep." She whispered to him. Stiles wrapped his arms around her and lifted her into the air. Lydia squealed (instantly regretting it as it made her head and throat ache), and then wrapped her legs around his waist. Stiles carried her into her bedroom and layed her down on one side of the bed. He stood for a moment thinking.

"What is it?" Lydia asked, noticing how he seemed to drift off.

"It's okay if I, you know, sleep in the bed with you, right?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck.

Lydia sighed. "Yes, Stiles. I'm okay with it. Now get in." Lydia said. Stiles didn't have to be told twice. He climbed over her and layed down next to her, pulling the sheets up to his chest.

He moved around a little before settling and getting comfy, turning to face Lydia. "You okay?" Stiles asked, finding her hand under the sheets and holding it.

"Better than ever." She simply responded. It amazed her how, despite the terrible pain she was in, Stiles had her feeling the best she possibly could. Stiles smiled at her, rubbing his thumb along the top of her hand.

He noticed how Lydia's eyes began to lazily close shut, as she slowly drifted off to sleep. She turned her back to him and snuggled against his front as best she could, taking in all the warmth he had to offer. Stiles closed his arms around her, and found her hand again and took it into his.

"I love you, Stiles." Lydia said, as she dozed off and fell asleep.

"I love you too, Lydia." He replied, leaning his head over and kissing her temple.

He finally got to be the big spoon.


	3. Chapter 3

Stiles listened to the soothing sound of Lydia's gentle breathing. She had fallen asleep within 10 minutes of their spooning. She probably hasn't had a good night's sleep since before she was admitted to Eichen. Neither has he really, but then again, he wasn't locked in an asylum practically being tortured.

Everything he had ever dreamed of was happening. The love of his life was sleeping, snuggled against him wrapped in his arms. Tonight's events (the confession, the kiss, and now this) hadn't exactly been the circumstances he would have liked them to happen over, but it happened nonetheless.

Stiles slowly began feeling himself drift off to sleep. He adjusted his head on the pillow, and felt Lydia stir a little in her sleep. He hoped he hadn't woken her. She soon settled again and so did Stiles, as he fell asleep.

Hours later, Stiles woke up with a bright, warm light shining on his face and in his eyes. His eyes burned in the light, but he eventually adjusted. He propped himself up on his elbows while laying on his back still, and checked the clock on the bedside table. 8:19 AM it read. From next to him, he heard the sheets ruffle. He looked across, and saw the strawberry blonde girl adjusting in the bed, obviously wondering where her giant man-pillow had gone. Stiles smiled to himself, and lied back down by Lydia's side. She looked so peaceful. So graceful, even with bed hair. She looked like an angel with the sun shining on her face like that Stiles thought to himself.

Lydia slowly opened her eyes, taking some time to adjust to the bright sunlight, just as Stiles did. When she saw Stiles awake, with his hands underneath his head staring at the ceiling, she immediately smiled.

"Good morning Stiles." She said, her voice rather croaky.

"Good morning beautiful." He said back, as he rolled onto his side to face her. He moved some strands of hair out of her face and tucked them behind her ear for her.

"How long have you been awake?" Lydia asked, reaching out and drawing circles with her fingers on Stiles' side.

"About 10 or 15 minutes." He replied. "I guess we won't be going to school today, huh?" He asked, already knowing there is no way in hell Lydia would feel up to it. Even if she did, he wouldn't let her.

"Well Stiles, since it's a Sunday, I'd certainly hope not." Lydia said laughing.

"Crap. I feel like an idiot now." He said, joining in on the laughter.

"It's okay. Come on, let's go downstairs and get some breakfast. I'm starving." Lydia said, realising how much better she felt. No sore throat, headache was practically gone, and she had a lot more energy now. All that was left was the extremely sore hole in her head, which would take some time to heal.

"But it's so comfy in here." Stiles said, as he snuggled up in the sheets again, getting even comfier. He closed his eyes tightly and pretended to sleep with a big smile on his face.

"Stiles." Lydia said, as she moved to a sitting position on the bed and crossed her legs.

He didn't budge.

"Don't make me have to use force." She said sternly, yet jokingly at the same time.

"Anything but that, please." He said, but he kept his eyes shut.

Lydia pulled the sheets away from him, and climbed on top of his waist. Now his eyes were open, looking Lydia up and down.

She leaned down to his face as seductively as she could, with slow drawn out movements. She lingered her lips in front of his, staring into his eyes and right when he was about to close the gap, she moved them to his cheek and placed a kiss there instead. She moved her lips to his ear.

"If you want anymore than that, you're gonna have to come and get some breakfast." She whispered into his ear, before getting off of him and waiting for him on her knees at the end of the bed.

Stiles groaned. "Fine." He said, as he sat up and got out of bed. He held his hands out to Lydia to help her stand up. "You think you can walk a little easier today?"

"I think so, but I don't want to rush into anything too fast." Lydia said, as she stood up and braced herself by grabbing onto Stiles elbow.

"Take as much time as you need." He said, as he helped Lydia get her balance.

She had one hand linked with Stiles hand, and the other holding onto his elbow as they walked down the stairs. She was already doing considerably better, as yesterday she couldn't even walk without putting all of her weight into him. Now, she was walking while only using his arm to support herself.

As they entered the kitchen, Natalie was already up and preparing breakfast. She was standing over the stove flipping a pancake. On the bench behind her was maple syrup, choc-chips, strawberries and a bunch of other toppings for the pancakes.

"Mum? What's all this?" Lydia asked, as she came down the last few steps with Stiles into the kitchen.

Natalie turned around, noticing Lydia holding Stiles hand and arm. For a moment, there was part of her that was still skeptical about this. But then she knew that this made Lydia happy, and that's all that she wanted for her now. So she smiled warmly at the two. "I wasn't expecting either of you to be up for another hour or so honestly. You both had a rough night."

"Well, we slept really well. The best sleep I've had in weeks." Lydia said, pushing away the thoughts of Eichen that had crept into her mind.

"That's good to hear. And how are you feeling, honey?" Natalie asked, as she took another pancake out of the pan and placed it on the plate with the rest of them.

"Much better." Lydia said, flashing her a bright smile. "My headache is practically gone, no sore throat, and I don't feel like a zombie anymore. The only pain I have is, not surprisingly, the hole in my head." She continued, as she rubbed her fingers along the bandage she had covering said hole.

"Good. And how about you Stiles? You okay?" Natalie asked, turning to him.

"Well, besides from the beautiful smell of freshly cooked pancakes driving me insane, I'd say I'm doing just fine." He said, laughing afterwards.

"I'm so glad you're both okay." Natalie said, giving them both a warm smile. "Now let's sit down and eat before these pancakes get too cold."

The three sat at the table, Lydia right next to Stiles with Natalie opposite them. It had been such a long time since Lydia got to sit down and enjoy a meal with her mum at the table. And it wasn't just because she'd been in Eichen for the past few weeks. Lydia felt like her mum never really had time for her, but it seemed like that's changed now, since Lydia did almost die after all. And Natalie now knows all about the supernatural. She always did, but like Stilinski, she just wasn't ready to believe it.

The three sat at the table for the next hour, talking, laughing and enjoying every bit of peace they could before they would eventually have to go and take on The Beast, and deal with the rest of the supernatural problems they had. But for now, Stiles and Lydia were perfectly content with pancakes, and each other.


End file.
